According to data collected by Legal Week, international firms made 20 per cent more lateral partner hires to their City offices than in 2015, with total net partner growth year-on-year now sitting around 6 per cent across the group. The 36 firms included in the study made a total of 110 lateral partner hires last year, up from 90 the year before. There are now nine overseas-based firms which boast London headcounts in excess of 65 partners, while Latham & Watkins has joined the elite list of firms with more than 200 UK-based lawyers outside the partnership.

Cooley launch boosts numbers

Around one-fifth of all new partner hires among the City’s foreign-based players are accounted for by the recent London launch of California-headquartered firm Cooleys. After launching with 55 lawyers, Cooleys headcount had climbed to 71 by January, including 24 lateral partner hires. King & Wood Mallesons weighed in second with 13 lateral partner hires to its legacy SJ Berwin offices in London, though a recent spate of partner exits has balanced out the hiring spree to result in a flat headcount.

Source: American Lawyer